CHAPTER 10
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters except my own. The characters belong to MARVEL.
CHAPTER 10 Captain
"Where is Fury?" the woman repeated.
Natasha shifted her weight to her toes. If the signal called her and Nick started the signal as we assume…Her eyes slipped over to Steve. He was already looking over at her, his arms held loosely at his sides. Ready to follow her call. A calming thought to be considered second in command. Natasha gave a small shrug. As of now she could not read the blonde sufficiently. Her posture suggested some kind of military training. She knew Fury. Apparently the pager had called her?
"Who are you?" Steve asked calmly.
The woman readjusted her stance. Instead of leaning forward, ready to attack, she settled slightly farther on her heels. Her hands clenched into fists, rising then falling back to her sides. "My name is Carol Danvers. I know Fury from a run-in we had in the nineties. Modified his pager so he could call me in emergencies. Occasionally checked in on him and my cat Goose."
The picture of a contently purring red cat appeared in Natasha's head. So that's her cat then. The one that scratched his eye out. The one I met just before Nick took me in.
Natasha blinked quickly. "Fury is," she began, "Fury disappeared. We faced a primordial being named Thanos."
"Thanos? Thanos did this?" Carol blinked in surprise, then immediately furrowed her brows. "We need to find him."
"You don't say?" Rhodey crossed his arms across his chest. He looked between Natasha and Carol. "Why didn't we think of this?"
A small smile tugged at Natasha's lips. Nice to know, they're all on my side. But we need to be careful and find out what exactly Carol is up to. Nick trusted her, still…
"We're already searching for him. Unfortunately, we haven't come very far yet. Essentially we're missing one of our team mates who is very good at this kind of thing." Bruce managed to look Carol square in the eyes, until she tilted her head ever so slightly. He rubbed at the back of his neck. Nervousness was rolling off of him in waves now. If it weren't for the fact that the big guy hadn't come out ever since Bruce had returned, Natasha might have worried. Even still, she kept him in her peripheral vision just in case.
"Who is it you're missing?"
"Tony Stark," Steve replied evenly. "He disappeared in a space ship with some of Thanos' followers."
Carol frowned. "Stark? Aren't the Starks in weapon export? What does he have to do with protecting Earth? Shouldn't he be selling weapons to avoid an encore of a situation like this?"
"You haven't been to Earth in a long time it seems." Steve frowned, disapproving of their friend's impression. "Things have changed. Trust me."
Natasha could almost hear Tony snort and mumble something about Steve being the expert on changing times. Could almost see Sam and Bucky quickly glancing at their friend to check if he was okay. She forced the images to fade. Carol needed to understand the situation and quickly. The quicker Tony was back, the quicker they could work on repairing the red in their ledger. Defeat Thanos and bring back those they had lost. Clint. I'll bring you hope.
Carol watched them all attentively. "I understand. Now, I introduced myself, but who are you?"
As if by prior arrangement, the men turned to look at Natasha. Each of them waiting for her assessment of the situation. It might have been sweet, hadn't they all looked equally exhausted and worried.
With a crooked smile, Natasha extended her hand to Carol. "Since the boys want me to go first: My name is Natasha Romanov."
"Black Widow," Carol shook the offered hand with a nod. "Last I saw him, Fury told me of the new friend Goose made. He was a bit worried when he found you alone with her." The grin she threw Natasha was unreadable. And the context of Goose and her meeting was even less logical. Natasha made a mental note not only to get the cat from Nick's apartment but also to ask Carol about Goose and what made her so special.
"Didn't you have a companion? Clint or something?"
"He is MIA, currently." Natasha lifted her chin defiantly. Apparently, Carol was quick to catch on, as she merely nodded and didn't inquire further. Instead, she turned towards Steve.
"You seem oddly familiar."
Steve blushed and averted his eyes. The creases on his forehead deepened. The thought of this woman just appearing, apparently travelling through space and still – it was more than a little strange. Given, Steve didn't feel too comfortable in his skin most of the time.
"I'm Steve Rogers."
Carol's posture immediately straightened. "The Steve Rogers? The Captain America Steve Rogers?" At Steve's timid nod her face lit up. "Oh, this is so great. You know, I met Peggy Carter once. She was really nice and told me so many stories about you. I have to admit, I have a feeling we might have a few things in common, Captain."
Mentioning Peggy's name alone got their attention. As one of the founders of SHIELD and overall badass agent, most of SHIELD had had a little crush on her at some point – or at least admired her dedication to making the world a better place.
Steve blinked at Carol for a few heartbeats. His face was carefully guarded, though Natasha could see the hurt creeping back in. Carol couldn't possibly know Peggy had died and just now, Steve had lost Bucky and Sam and Wanda and so many others.
"Bruce Banner," Bruce stepped up and thrust his hand in her direction. A distraction so Steve could regain his composure without the new attention on him. Natasha shifted just as subtly so brush her hand against Steve's.
She allowed the conversation to fade into the background. Instead, Natasha focused on the new puzzle pieces they had gained. Hayden found the pager, which means Nick and Maria are gone for now. Clint disappeared into the underground, possibly fuelled by vengeance. The signal called a warrior from outer space to us, whom we didn't know about before. Thor is guiding his people into settling down on Earth. Rocket is somewhere in the compound and Tony is lost in space.Her eyes strayed over to Carol, who was engaging Rhodey in a discussion about the military and the Air Force. Bruce had disappeared back into the depths of the lab to readjust the parameters to search for Tony. Well, we have a new variable to accomplish that.
"What do you think?" Steve murmured. He watched attentively as Carol laughed at Rhodey's wide eyes upon her retelling of some story of a flight with her best friend.
They both knew his question was much more than he let on. Natasha thoughtfully pursed her lips. "Fury trusted her. Otherwise he wouldn't have the pager. She is able to travel space." Her eyes flickered up to Steve. His eyes were still on Carol, but he gave a slight nod of understanding. "We need every help we can get. Pepper needs help. I think the council is going to call us any minute, finding Tony and Clint…"
Steve nodded once more. Natasha knew the look in his eyes. He was coming to a conclusion. Based on her observations, his judgment of the situation and considering what they knew about Carol. With resolve hardening his eyes, Captain America took over and Natasha fell back into her role as second in command.
"Carol, I'm sorry to interrupt," he strode towards them, "But since you're here, we need to discuss some strategy with you." Captain America tilted his head to the side slightly, indicating the table they had huddled around just a few minutes earlier.
In an instant, the atmosphere around the room changed. Both, Rhodey and Carol straightened as if in front of a superior. Without saying a single word, the three of them assembled around the table. Steve pulled up maps and scales to explain their situation to Carol.
"Would you mind looking after Hayden and Bruce?" Steve asked Natasha without looking up. Her shoulders tensed. Is he seriously sending me away? She clenched her teeth until she actually looked at Steve. His shoulders were just as tense, his spine ramrod straight. The crease between his brows indicated a concentration he usually displayed in a fight. He is preparing to relay everything. Our entire fight against Thanos. For that he doesn't need my insight just now. We talked it through entirely in Wakanda and enough times since. Now he needs to shove his feelings back down and get Carol on our side.
With a nod, Natasha relaxed her stance. She threw Carol a smile. "See you later. Maybe you'd like something for lunch?"
Carol looked between her and Steve quickly. She obviously noticed the moment of tension, but chose not to comment on it. Instead she thought for a moment. Then, "Do you have any pizza?"
"I can get us some." Natasha grinned. She looked back at Steve with an appraising look. "Hayden and I will borrow your motorbike." It was a small dig against him excluding her from this strategy meeting with their possible new ally.
Without even waiting for a response, she spun on her heel and walked towards the lab. Steve would not complain as long as she brought his bike back in one piece. Plus, she needed a way to get into the city for the pizza.
Bruce stood bent over the table, still examining the pager. "I think, if I find out how this pager sent a signal strong enough to be picked up in space then maybe we could replicate it with a frequency to match with Tony's tech." He glanced up at Natasha. "What do you think?"
"It might work. But we need to find out how the signal got transported. Maybe Carol can tell you more about that. You can ask her after Steve briefed her on the situation," she suggested. Still, Natasha stepped closer to peer at the pager. Bruce had carefully opened the case, exposing the wiring.
Natasha tilted her head. There was definitely something different about the wiring than was to be expected. "I think she exchanged the radio receiver. Maybe even the motor." She traced the slightly larger parts. Something else caught her attention. A small detail, barely visible among the other plates and wires. "What's this?"
Bruce ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah, that is what I tried to figure out for the past minutes. I think it might be the reason for the long battery life and reach of signal. But, you know, engineering is not really my strong suit."
"Engineering, eh?" Rocket jumped onto the table from out of nowhere. Bruce startled and stumbled a few steps backwards. "Don't pee your pants," Rocket said without even looking up.
Natasha raised an eyebrow. Wherever did he come from? Did he crawl through the vents?
"Oh, you might want to check in on the kid. He's wandering around looking for you." Rocket glanced up at Natasha shortly. Then, he focused back on the pager. With a few mumbled comments about the built of the pager, he set to work on it. "Just give me a couple hours. I might be able to find out how this works and how we can use it."
Bruce and Natasha exchanged a look. Shrugging, Bruce motioned for her to leave and find Hayden. "I can handle him. Besides, I need to brief Steve and the rest on the whole situation and ask Carol about what she knows. And set up some plan to find Thanos."
"Promise to call me, if you find anything," Natasha told him sternly.
Bruce nodded solemnly. Even Rocket looked up shortly to snort at her. "What else did you expect, redhead? That I keep it to myself?"
"Better safe than sorry," Natasha replied. With a small smile at Bruce she left the room.
It was easier than she expected. Hayden leaned against the counter top in the kitchen, an apple in his hand. "Good morning." His grin widened, becoming almost cheeky.
Natasha returned the grin with a smile. "Good morning." She leaned against the counter and grabbed another apple from the bowl. "How are you feeling?"
"Good, thanks. I really love the room. It's so cool and to think the Avengers live here…" He looked around as if the others might enter the room at any moment. Then, as if remembering something, his eyes trailed back to the floor before his feet. His shoulders hunched forward, as if protecting him from something. His hands, still holding on to the apple, rose higher towards his chest.
Natasha took a bite from her apple. She suspected she knew why he was looking like that. After all, their arrangement had been for one night only. And he doesn't have anyone else to turn to.Natasha considered their options for a moment. After the Snap it was hard to navigate the city. Dangerous even. Especially for younger people like Hayden. The calls from politicians will begin to trickle in soon. No doubt the work we'll face will double at least. I suppose Rhodey and Steve will man that front. We could need someone to help us coordinate. But I need to ask the others first.
With a smile she threw the rest of the apple into the bin and Hayden followed her suit. "Would you like to come and pick up some pizza?" Natasha looked back at Hayden. "The others are busy with some theoretical stuff and need a little pick me up to stop working." At Hayden's incredulous look, Natasha almost laughed. "You didn't think, we'd just kick you out, did you?"
"W-Well…" Hayden fidgeted in place.
"Even without Captain America in this very house I wouldn't kick you out like that. Natasha shifted to look at him fully, hands loosely at her sides. Even though the teenager hadn't shown any sign of being frightened by her, she still wanted to seem as unthreatening as possible. "You can go of course, if you want do. Any time. I'll drop you off wherever you want and go get the pizza alone."
Hayden almost stumbled over his words as he hurried to assure Natasha that he would love to eat with them and that pizza sounded great. She grinned at him, glad he accepted her offer. Without another word, they started towards the garage.
"Hey!" Carol ran up behind them. "I want to get Goose and my motorbike from Fury's. Mind, if I tag along? We can get more pizza with two drivers." Her eyes sparkled with mischief, a grin on her lips.
"Did they already fill you in on everything?" Natasha frowned. If they only needed a couple minutes, they haven't told her everything. Did they see something to warrant their distrust of her?
Carol shrugged lightly. "No, not really. I got the gist of it. That's enough for me for now. We can continue to talk strategy after we have some food. You guys look like you can use it. No offence."
So, no, they didn't stop because she wasn't trustworthy. They just need a break in general. Natasha looked back at Hayden. He seemed utterly confused at the appearance of the new person in front of him. He definitely couldn't place Carol in the assortment of Avengers he had no doubt researched. "Sure, but we're taking Steve's bike, so you'll have to get your own ride." Natasha gestured to Hayden. "This is Hayden by the way. He found the pager."
In an instant, Carol's attention snapped to the teenager the same moment he stepped slightly behind Natasha's shoulder. Carol gave him a crooked smile. "Thank you, Hayden. It would have been much harder to find information on Fury, had I only found my pager. I'm Carol by the way."
Hayden wobbled his head in quick acknowledgement. "You're welcome."
"Now. That pizza." Carol's eyes gleamed.
She's up to something. That look promises mischief. But what is she up to?Natasha scanned Carol for any hidden weapons. There were none she could spot. "I don't think there is room enough for three." She repeated the words carefully, shifting a little more in front of Hayden, just in case.
Carol's grin only seemed to widen. Natasha felt compelled to compare her to Clint when he was starting one of his infamous prank wars. Or Sam when he thought of one particularly good one-liner. The thought sent a pang through her. They'd like her. She has this aura of recklessness… Just like Steve. It would drive Bucky crazy.
What came next, not even Natasha had expected.
With that impish grin still in place, Carol burst into flame. Energy exploded from her fists, quickly encompassing her whole body in golden light. "Don't worry," Carol lifted her chin, "I'll wait for you at the Avenger's Tower." And without another word, she turned on her heel and took off into the sky. Wanda…But no, Carol was quicker than Wanda, the energy coming from within her in a burst not in the crawl of magic that flowed like a river.
Head still reeling with the image and an array of new questions and thoughts she had to sort through; Natasha led Hayden towards Steve's bike. On autopilot, she started the Liberator and sped off towards the city. Weaving through the miraculously cleared streets, Natasha had half a mind to feel proud of the New York citizens for their diligence in reclaiming their city.
"Okay, so what do you want?" Natasha asked Hayden and Carol.
The cashier across from them was already staring with eyes as big as saucers. But who could blame them. It wasn't every day that Black Widow came into your pizzeria with a teenager and blonde woman with a cat curled around her shoulders. Hayden looked thoughtfully at the card above the register while Natasha rattled off the order for her friends she had memorised a long time ago.
"Three big Salamis, one big BBQ, two small with the oysters and crabs, one medium half Margarita half mushroom", she paused. We got Steve, Rhodey, Rocket and Bruce. Tony would love the Hawaiian pizza… "And a small Hawaiian, please."
Behind in the open kitchen, Natasha saw the cooks run around making the pizza with haste, as if trying to get them done faster than ever before. She almost felt bad for them. Losing parts of their lives as well as several of their friends and family cannot be easy. And still having to go to work. This is…
"What is a cheese crust? Does it taste good?" Carol asked.
"Oh yeah," Hayden almost jumped up and down. "It's like, the cheese is in the really crunchy crust and just like – cheese. Cheese everywhere!"
Carol laughed. "Okay. Then I'll take a big Quattro Formaggio with cheese crust." Goose gave a questioning purr that Carol met with a scratch to her head. "You wouldn't happen to have any leftover bacon?"
One of the people in the kitchen hurried forward with a plate of bacon. It instantly caught Goose's attention. She hopped down from Carol's shoulder directly onto the counter and devoured the offered food with feline grace.
"Do you want any pizza?" Natasha asked while reaching out to snatch one of the bacon slices from under Goose's nose. The cat swiped vaguely in her direction before focussing back on her bacon.
"Uh, a medium ham with cheese crust, please." Hayden gave a nervous smile, his eyes shifting between Goose on the counter and Natasha.
"Will that be all?" asked the cashier with a customer-service-smile barely covering the lingering mixture of awe and fear in the face of the order and Black Widow.
Natasha returned the look with a winning smile. "Yes." She handed over her credit card, looped in with Tony's financial accounts.
"Oh, no, no," the cashier stared at the card with sheer panic. "I couldn't possibly…"
"You can and you will," Natasha replied steadily. And without missing a beat, she pulled out her wallet and threw an additional tip on the counter. "For Goose and the excellent service."
Goose gave another happy meow, having cleared the entire plate of bacon. Purring, she pushed her head into Natasha's hands, who picked her up and handed her back to Carol. She still looked slightly surprised at the ease between Goose and Natasha, but didn't comment on it.
Hayden held out his hand for the cat to sniff before scratching her behind the ears just when the towering mass of pizza cartons appeared.
The weight of the cartons was well worth it. As soon as the smell of pizza wafted through the rooms, the others came wandering into the kitchen. Bruce's hair stood on end, but his eyes shone as he quietly greeted them before going back to listening to Rocket's never-ending tirade about possibilities to modify the pager and its signals. Rhodey strode in next, going straight for the plates and setting the table. Natasha couldn't help a small smile. We slowly fall into our roles and duties around each other.
Goose strode through the kitchen, as if she owned the place, sniffing around for food to devour or pets to snatch. Hayden and Carol engaged Rhodey in a discussion about their interests and stories of their lives. Goose quickly took up residence close to them, curling around their feet in hopes of scraps.
Steve came in last. His whole face lit up with one of his rare smiles. His eyes swept over the assembled people just mingling, eating pizza. Natasha tried to see it from his perspective. A bunch of people, that barely knew each other, happily chatting away in the kitchen with food between them. Almost like a family. She grabbed two plates and walked over to Steve.
"Thanks," he said. Then, he went back to watching the others, a familiar melancholy welling up in his eyes.
"We'll get them back," Natasha said lightly. "Maybe not today or tomorrow. But eventually."
"And with Carol's help, additionally to Thor, we might actually stand a chance at finding Tony even quicker. So we can concentrate our attention on finding Clint and aiding anyone who asks for it," Steve added with a nod. They both turned back towards the others in the kitchen.
Goose had hopped onto the kitchen counter and purred happily with all the scratches she got, especially from Hayden. Carol and Rocket were getting to know each other by swapping space stories. Bruce and Rhodey stared at them both in fascinated disbelief. Natasha could almost see the cogs in their heads turning, trying to figure out the mechanics of everything.
They are not our original modern family. Far from it. But we might develop into a new familial unit. And I will do anything to get our missing members back.